SC pulls up government for Radia tape leaks

The Supreme Court today pulled up the centre for the leaks of its tapped conversation of former corporate lobbyist Niira Radia saying the probe it carried out was hardly satisfactory.

A bench of justices GS Singhvi and SJ Mukhopadhaya also took strong exception to the centre's failure to put in place a proper mechanism for preventing such leaks in future.

"Those probe reports are hardly satisfactory. The less said the better. Somebody must be made accountable for the leakage," the bench said after the centre submitted that the leakage has not been done on its part or by its officials.

"There is no reply on how to prevent such leakages in future. In future it will again happen. If you are not able to protect, then why you go for tapping," the bench observed.
The bench also said, the probe report submitted by the government did not specifically give a clean chit to any department.

Moving the apex court on 29 November 2010, Tata Group chairman Ratan Tata sought action against those involved in the leaks of the tapes saying, it amounted to infringement of his fundamental right to life, including right to privacy under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The conversations were recorded by the government as part of surveillance of Radia's phone, ordered by the directorate general of Income Tax (Investigation) on a complaint received by the finance minister on 16 November 2007, alleging that in nine years, she had built up a Rs300-crore business empire.